Community Events

St. Alphonsus, Deerfield
St. Alphonsus dedicates its new Salt Center   St. Alphonsus in Deerfield’s parishioners recently came together to celebrate the dedication of their newly constructed SALT Center. This dedication follows many years of prayer, reflection, discussion and visioning to determine how to better serve the needs of their parish community and the larger community in which they live.
   It began with the development of the parish’s pastoral plan, which was actually initiated by Bishop Mengeling, when he called every parish in the diocese to develop a plan to determine their future. 
   St. Alphonsus started to develop their pastoral plan in September 2000 and completed it in April 2003. A steering committee was created to determine how to best meet the needs expressed in the pastoral plan to expand the parish facilities to enable the parish to more effectively live out its mission. The steering committee consisted of Deanna Burke, Ryan Cousino, Mark Huff, John Kiely, Jim Lammers, Barb and Bob Rains, Jeff Reau, Jolene Witt, Matt Van Black and Jim Mello. Their dedication and hard work were crucial in making the SALT Center possible.
   Following many months of work, it was decided that an additional committee needed to be formed to begin planning how to raise funds to accomplish the parish’s goals. The fundraising committee members were Terri Bauer, Terry Beurer, Barb Gillies, Beth Iott, Lois Iott, Marilyn Iott, Ramona Meyer, Adam Musielewicz, Liz Sofo, Matt Van Black and Art and Mary Weeber. They, too, were instrumental in making the SALT Center a reality.
   It is also important to recognize St. Alphonsus’ pastor’s role in leading the parish in completing this project. Father Jack was on both of the committees. “St. Al’s is fortunate and blessed to have Fr. Jack.  His leadership abilities, his organizational skills, his financial savvy, and his ability to anticipate our future needs and address them -  all combined to make him ‘the right person at the right place at the right time,’” said James Mello … this would never have been possible without him – thank you Fr. Jack.”
  The SALT Center is named for St. Alphonsus’ parishioners who are commitment to the mission of Christ. SALT comes from the gospel passage Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth,” and represents the acronym: St. Alphonsus: Living into Tomorrow.
Article submission from James Mello

Holy Redeemer, Burton
Holy Redeemer Men's Club and CCW will hold their annual garage sale August 15 – 17. The times are 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fri. and Sat, and 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Sunday. Shop for great buys in furniture, household goods, books, jewelry and other assorted treasures.  Location: Holy Redeemer Pavilion, at Bristol Rd and S. Grand Traverse, Burton MI. For more details: 810.655.5663 or 810.239.3094.

St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt
Perennial Plants Sale, May 10, Sat., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Francis Retreat Center, 703 E. Main St., DeWitt. This is a fundraiser for building prayer gardens at the center.

The Dominican Sisters of Mary in final phase of their Michigan Motherhouse
  On May 1, 2008, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor will break ground for the third time in just nine years as construction begins on the final phase of their Michigan Motherhouse. “Over the years, our dynamic growth has required us to step out in faith on several occasions, always confident that our Lord will bless and provide for us,” said Mother Assumpta Long, O.P., prioress general of the community and one of its four founders. The religious community was established 11 years ago. “With so many sisters in our community and potentially large groups of women entering each year, we simply can wait no longer to expand our Motherhouse. Thus, we are stepping out in faith once again by moving forward with this expansion.”
   The 36,000 square foot expansion will include the Lourdes Wing of the professed residence, including the Rosary Chapel and 26 additional monastic cells, the Pier Giorgio Frassati Center, a multi-purpose facility for conferences, retreats and recreation, the Aquinas Lecture Hall, the visitation guest residence and additional parking. This expansion, which is expected to be completed by fall 2009, will expand the current facility to a capacity sufficient to support the formation and education of approximately 100 sisters. Site plans and renderings of the Phase III construction are available on the sister’s website at www.sistersofmary.org.
  The ceremony will begin at 10:00a.m. at the building site, located adjacent to the existing Motherhouse property on Warren Road. The sisters were honored to learn that the groundbreaking will be one of the first public events presided over by the newly installed bishop of Lansing,  Earl A. Boyea, who will become the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Lansing just two days before the event.
  The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist are a Roman Catholic community of women religious founded in 1997 as a response to Pope John Paul II’s call for a new evangelization of the third millennium church. Today, the community numbers more than 80 sisters. In addition to administering two private, K-8 Catholic schools in Ann Arbor, the Spiritus Sanctus Academies, the sisters currently teach in elementary and secondary schools in the Charleston, Venice, Phoenix and Sacramento dioceses.

Catholic Charities of Jackson fundraiser
Catholic Charities of Jackson and Dream Dinners Sneak-Peak Fundraiser are teaming up on Tues., May 6 at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to raise money for Jackson Catholic Charities. Now is your chance to try Dream Dinners and support a worthy charity, as well as take home dinner!
What is Dream Dinners? Dream Dinners is a franchise that provides everything you need to assemble delicious, nutritious meals quickly and take them home to place in your freezer. Perfect when you are on the go!
Come to our Sneak-Peak Fundraiser. For only $10 you will be able to sample one of Dream Dinners most popular menu items, assemble a six-serving meal, and take it home! All proceeds go toward Catholic Charities of Jackson County. Please RSVP to Lisa Gross at 517.782.2551 to reserve the time slot that works best for you. Space is limited so call soon!

St. Mary Catholic School, Pinckney
Applications now accepted for Tricia T. Berger Music Scholarship
The Tricia T. Berger Music Scholarship is for students in grades Kindergarten though eleventh who have attended St. Mary Catholic School in Pinckney for at least one year, are pursuing private music lessons in the fall or are attending a music camp.  For scholarship inquiries and applications, please contact St. Mary School by mail at 10601 Dexter-Pinckney Rd., Pinckney, 48169 or by phone, 734.878.5616.
The fund is in memory of Tricia Berger, a young music teacher at St. Mary Catholic School, who died last year from cancer.  According to her family, “It is our hope that this scholarship will inspire others not only to love music, but possibly to teach it to future generations. We were determined to find a way to keep Tricia’s memory and love of music alive, and with this scholarship…we did.”
The school is holding a benefit spaghetti dinner on Friday, May 16 at 5 p.m. to gather donations for the fund. To make a donation, your check should be made out to the Tricia Berger Music Scholarship and mailed to St. Mary School.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor Grail Singers feature 900 years of sacred music
  At 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 4, the Ann Arbor Grail Singers will present "Contemplating God: Images in the Liturgy" at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in East Lansing. The program includes pieces by Ockeghem, Palestrina, Charpentier, Cozzolani and Ippolotov-Ivanov, as well as medieval chant. 
  A feature of the Michigan musical scene since 1995, the Ann Arbor Grail Singers are a 16-voice women's choir founded by Lynn Malley.  They have performed in the Detroit Institute of Arts Brunch with Bach Series, at the Toledo Art Museum and at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The choir has been lauded for the beauty of their sound and "their musicality, precision, balance, and intonation" (Current Magazine).
  Baroque violinists Keith Graves, known to Michigan audiences from Ars Musica, and Nick Field, cellist Debra Lonergan and organist Timothy Tikker accompany the choir for this concert.
  The opening “Call to Worship” is the 8-part Cantate Domino by Sulpitia Cesis, a composer and lutist at the convent of San Agostino in Modena. To illustrate the liturgical images, the movements of the Ockeghem Mass are each preceded by a chant and followed by a Renaissance, Baroque or modern motet.
  The concert concludes with the dramatic Beatus vir by the Benedictine nun Chiara Margarita Cozzolani.  Cozzolani was abbess of the convent of Santa Radegonda, one of the most celebrated ensembles of women musicians in 17th century Italy; Beatus vir is part of a collection of vespers psalms combining solos, duets and tutti sections.
  The director, Deborah Friauff received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan. She has studied Gregorian chant at St. John University in Minn., St. Meinrad Archabbey, Ind. and Grand Séminaire de Montréal, Québec. She was awarded the “Premier Prix d’Orgue, Médaille d’Or” by the Conservatoire National de Région, Rueil-Malmaison, France.
  The Grail Singers have released three CDs, two with Ave Maria Press; they are now available from The Grail at www.grailville.org or directly from the choir.
  Directions to the concert on May 4 at St.Thomas Aquinas Church, 955 Alton Rd. can be found on the Internet, www.stachurch.net/directionstochurch.html.
  Open seating tickets are available at the door, $15 general admission, $12 for seniors and Academy of Early Music members and $5 students. For more information, call 734-663-0518 x205.

St. Francis Retreat Center
The center is located on 95 acres of gently rolling hills and pine groves, minutes from Lansing in the community of DeWitt, Michigan. 703 E. Main St., DeWitt, Michigan 48820 Call to register or go on-line 1-866-669-8321 or www.stfrancis.ws
Jesus: Ever Ancient, Ever New Our 2008 Weekend Retreat For Men and Women
"It is very easy to use Jesus for one's own purposes - good or bad. But he was a historical person who had some very strong convictions himself - he was willing to die for them." (A. Nolan) By looking at this Jesus who belongs to all humanity, may we see him more clearly, love him more dearly and live our faith more deeply. His life and mission is as much for us today as it was for his contemporaries. So, come be with him on this retreat. Offered 21 weekends throughout the year, Friday - Sunday. Please call for dates. Suggested donation $130.
A Legacy of St. Francis – Gardening Programs Margaret Realy, MA, CGG, Master Gardener, Founder: St. Francis Garden Society.
Saturday, May 10 Plant Sale 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We'll have plants for shade, drought tolerance and new varieties of re-blooming German Iris. In addition, we will be selling photo note cards for the retreat center.
Saturday, June 7 Building Your Own Small Memorial or Prayer Garden 8:00 a.m. to noon
This is a hands-on program. Participants will need to bring enlarged pictures of their yard, pencils, graph paper, rulers, and tracing paper. We will spend time identifying what enlivens their spirit, and then step into actually creating a sacred space. Participants are expected to leave with a design plan. Limited to 10 participants. $50 per person.
Saturday, September 27 Serenity in the Ornamental Grass Garden 9:00 a.m. to noon
We will spend a Saturday morning learning about ornamental grasses as we move between "classroom" and garden. $35 per person.
Classes can be registered for separately. (Master Gardeners please note: these programs can be counted as 3 hours of continuing education.)
Mother Daughter Retreat – Special Memories Friday-Saturday, May 9-10. Fr. Larry Delaney, Mary Beth Hicks and friends. This retreat is an invitation for the women of your family to pray, share, listen, rest and be together. Please join us. $75 per person.
In addition to the above offerings, St. Francis offers a variety of retreats addressing special needs. This includes 7 AA Retreats, Singles Retreats, Married Couples Retreats, Retrouvaille Retreats, for marriages that are in trouble and A Day Away, a private retreat. Details on these and other offerings can be found at our web site. Our facility is available for use by all religious denominations and non-profit organizations. Our facilities and resources will accommodate groups from 20 to 200, with overnight accommodations for 150. Please contact us for additional information.